BERG works with advocacy group on rare disease awareness

BERG Health is to work with a patient advocacy group to raise awareness of Epidermolysis Bullosa

The Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America (debra of America) will help raise awareness of BERG's BPM 31510 to aid in future phases of development whilst acting as an advocate for epidermylosis bullosa (EB) patients.

The drug was developed using the company's core technology, the 'Interrogative Biology' platform, which uses machine and deep learning algorithms to identify potential therapy targets and drive drug development.

A topical cream formulation of BPM 31510 is currently in phase 1 development for EB and is soon to enter its next stage where a larger patient population will need to be recruited - something debra of America's awareness efforts will help with.

"We are honoured to partner with debra of America, which underscores our commitment to increasing attention around epidermolysis bullosa and addressing the high unmet needs of the EB community," said Niven Narain, co-founder, president, and CEO of BERG. "We are proud to use our expertise and innovative research platforms to provide a better understanding of the condition and to hopefully expand treatment options in a very devastating disease for patients and their families."

EB affects one in every 20,000 children in the US and causes extremely fragile skin that blisters and ruptures under minor friction or trauma. It also dramatically increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer and can seriously affect internal organs.

The condition currently has no FDA-approved therapies with treatment consisting of daily wound care, pain management, and protective bandaging.

The partnership reflects the ongoing change in how drugs are measured in terms of their value, with patient input driving changes in trial structure and endpoints.

For BERG, partnering with debra of America could help drive their candidate to market - its first since being founded in 2006.

BPM 31510 is being tested in multiple indications outside of EB, including pancreatic cancer, skin cancer and glioblastoma multiforme.